FNC candidates to be announced on August 25

Candidates across all Emirates have registered their intent to stand in October's election

Nominations for candidates for the Federal National Council have closed. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The nomination process for Federal National Council elections has now closed, the National Election Committee said on Friday.

Emiratis this week have been submitting their applications for October's FNC elections.

This nomination process opened at 8am on Monday and ended at 4pm on Friday.

The preliminary list of candidates will be announced on August 25, with the final list revealed on Saturday, September 2.

Elections for the FNC are scheduled to take place on October 7.

On its first day, the FNC received 162 applications. Of these, 58 were submitted in Abu Dhabi, 23 in Dubai, 29 in Sharjah, 12 in Ajman, 12 in Umm Al Quwain, 19 in Ras Al Khaimah and nine in Fujairah.

The National Election Committee has yet not released data on the total number of applications received.

The FNC, the UAE's consultative parliament, plays a pivotal role in shaping policies, fostering dialogue, and ensuring the representation of Emirati voices at the national level.

Comprising 40 members – 20 elected representatives and 20 who are appointed – it provides a platform for discussions, debates and decision-making on matters of national importance.

Council members are drawn from all seven emirates and represent the views and concerns of the electorate on important local issues.

Potential candidates must be Emirati and a permanent resident of the emirate they hope to represent, and they must be at least 25 years old at the closing of the nomination process.

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